A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively

A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Penelope Lively takes us on a journey of her familial country house in England and as her narrative moves from room to room, from object to object, she paints a moving portrait of an era of rapid change -- and of the family that changed with the times. As she charts the course of the domestic tensions of class and community among her relatives, she brings to life the effects of the horrors of the Russian Revolution and the Holocaust through portraits of the refugees who came to live with them. A fascinating, intimate social history of its times, A House Unlocked is an eloquent meditation on place and time, memory and history, and above all a tribute to the meaning of home."
~~from the back cover

I am rather at a loss to add anything to the above review. This is a brilliant book -- the author has the certain gift of easy navigation between now and the past, and the ability to bring objects and memories to vivid life with an economy of words and phrases. Coupled with her unerring sense of how an ordinary household object or piece of furniture is connected by gossamer threads to the social issues of the time, and the struggle to come to terms with the enormous changes thrust upon them by both the World Wars, the author's fond memories blend with her clear-eyed assessment of a once and future house and family.

I found it fascinating, compelling, entertaining -- everything a good book should be.